Here are Ben from The 4130's top ten UK DIY venues.
1. The Owl Sanctuary - Norwich. Hands down
for me the best small DIY independent venue in the country right now. The 150
capacity works really well for a very special energy and atmosphere when full.
The upstairs for travelling bands is amazing all kitted out with bunk beds and all
the other things touring bands need. Dan and his staff work tirelessly to make
sure everyone is happy.
2. The Lady Luck - Canterbury. A fave stop
for my band. Played there quite a few times and its one of the only places in
the country people come to see us ha! The venue its compact but it has a
special atmosphere. Emma who runs the venue is a lovely lady and Dan from
Spoilers and 7 Day Conspiracy, who sometimes puts us on is of course a lovely
bloke to play for. The sound is always brilliant. The only let down is it’s a
mission to load in sometimes but it’s a beautiful city and it makes a
difference to find a venue with shops and places to eat really close.
3. The Union Bar - Hastings. Another
independent venue that works really well and hard. I get the feeling of playing
a squat when playing the tub and that’s not a bad thing at all they have a
great scene down there. In-house promoter and soundman Harvey does a sweet job
to make sure things run smooth only drawback is that its hotter than a McDonalds
apple pie.
4. New Cross Inn - London. Only played here
once but the venue is great, the picnic benches are a cool little touch. There
is loads of room to hang merch on the side tables and the sound was really
good.
5. The Steamboat Tavern - Ipswich. A long
standing Ippo fave. Until recently it was ran by the queen of punk rock land
lady’s Val Bint, it's a tiny venue but has
the most amazing atmosphere. I've seen Val in the past even feed touring bands
that were booked for other Ipswich venues and got fucked over by two well known
morons. In my opinion the steamboat has gone downhill now it's changed hands, I
ran a show and was told to stop 40 punk rockers dancing to wonk unit or have
the plug pulled.
6. Maguire’s Pizza Bar - Liverpool. Ohhh
this place is amazing, they make the best pizza ever and the staff are all
super nice. The venue is small and dark and that’s ok to be honest. I like
playing places that equipment doesn’t need to be mic’d up, load in is fucking
easy too, just what you need after a long drive.
7. Edge Of The Wedge - Portsmouth. This is
one of the best venues I've ever played. I've loved every second of my time
there, the shows that Ant puts on are rad. It's pretty much a venue on the side
of a the actual venue, The Wedgewood Rooms. It's a bit of a tease as you can
see the huge stage and venue and think "ohhh that’s where the good bands
play one day" haha. Having said that The Edge venue has a special feel to
it and the sound is great, I think Ant makes that place though, probably my
fave promoter to be honest.
8. The Royal Oak - Ipswich. The only reason
this isn’t at number 1 is because it's not active anymore, this was the best
venue I'd ever played for the 2 best promoters to have ever been involved not
just in Ipswich but the UK scene as a whole. Tammy and Mike made that place so
fucking special, some amazing bands passed through The Oak in its time and it
was weekly that good bands were coming in. The most consistently rad venue we
ever had, the day that place died was a massive body blow and what I think was
the final nail in the Ippo scene coffin.
9. The Pipeline - London. This venue is
brilliant set downstairs of a popular London pub the pipeline has had some
great bands pass through and its funk as puck the whole venue is geared towards
this lifestyle.
10. The Winter Gardens - Rebellion Festival
Blackpool. I wasn’t going to include huge venues but the winter gardens is
amazing right by the sea in the middle of "Crackpool", it’s the only
place I've ever been so nervous to play that I almost did a little sick before
going on, as soon as you walk in you are just in awe of the place and history,
the rebellion promoters and stage mangers still have a DIY work ethic and it’s
the highlight of my year and many other peoples.
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